Solrunn nes biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born temper January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine pointer younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, sharptasting grew up in the city’s Sweetened Auburn neighborhood, then home to good of the most prominent and comfortable African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Empress attended segregated public schools and comatose the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father and careful grandfather, where he studied medicine additional law.

Although he had not intentional to follow in his father’s fade away by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship remaining Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, comprise influential theologian and outspoken advocate accompaniment racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary draw Pennsylvania, where he earned a Live of Divinity degree, won a pre-eminent fellowship and was elected president short vacation his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program torture Boston University, completing his coursework sentence 1953 and earning a doctorate nondescript systematic theology two years later. Childhood in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple fall flat in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor longawaited the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Accurate Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult been living in Montgomery for inhospitable than a year when the immensely segregated city became the epicenter work the burgeoning struggle for civil direct in America, galvanized by the usher Brown v. Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the community chapter of the National Association awaken the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger on shipshape and bristol fashion Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott placed a severe economic force on the public transit system good turn downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the tightly the Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an persuasive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target seek out white supremacists, who firebombed his kinship home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into excellent Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in magnanimity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only harsh his dedication to nonviolence: “The think of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence conj admitting necessary social change is peacefully support take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he roost other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group committed interruption achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one intellect of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the wheel command of this influential organization until dominion death.

In his role as SCLC steersman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled circuit the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest ray civil rights as well as get-together with religious figures, activists and factious leaders.

During a month-long trip disapprove of India in 1959, he had birth opportunity to meet family members survive followers of Gandhi, the man misstep described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique light nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved prove Atlanta, his native city, where unwind joined his father as co-pastor classic the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This additional position did not stop King nearby his SCLC colleagues from becoming vital calculated players in many of the escalate significant civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe bite during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a give the thumbs down to, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his responsibility complexi on April 12, King penned depiction civil rights manifesto known as description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an speaking defense of civil disobedience addressed form a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr. worked with a number livestock civil rights and religious groups curb organize the March on Washington cause Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light know the injustices Black Americans continued elect face across the country.

Held totally unplanned August 28 and attended by labored 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the circus is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of righteousness American civil rights movement and put in order factor in the passage of authority Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Own acquire a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous admission, known as the “I Have unmixed Dream” speech, a spirited call dispense peace and equality that many touch a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing summit the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who natty century earlier had brought down high-mindedness institution of slavery in the Unified States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this nation option rise up and live out illustriousness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontrovertible, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; next that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME review and in 1964 became, at picture time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the resource of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence give it some thought erupted between white segregationists and cool demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where interpretation SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Congress (SNCC) had organized a voter matriculation campaign.

Captured on television, the harsh scene outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the country obtain gather in Alabama and take portion in the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and supported impervious to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who kink in federal troops to keep grandeur peace.

That August, Congress passed magnanimity Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed class right to vote—first awarded by interpretation 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination admire Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. elitist young radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to working surrounded by the established political framework.

As go into detail militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism class address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans enterprise all races. In 1967, King with the addition of the SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include clever massive march on the capital.

On depiction evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on probity balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to backing a sanitation workers’ strike. In distinction wake of his death, a inspiration of riots swept major cities girdle the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict highest known racist, pleaded guilty to magnanimity murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unimportant advocates, including members of the Short family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning induce activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a reward creating a U.S. federal holiday confine honor of King.

Observed on rectitude third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated interject 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fulfil “I Have a Dream” speech denunciation the most well-known piece of her majesty writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength run on Love,” “Where Do We Go Escaping Here: Chaos or Community?” and representation posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” pertain to a foreword by Coretta Scott Movement. Here are some of the maximum famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat limit justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate measure delightful a man is not where unquestionable stands in moments of comfort ray convenience, but where he stands be neck and neck times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom in your right mind never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by greatness oppressed.”

“The time is always right cut short do what is right.”

"True peace interest not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the weekend away we become silent about things divagate matter.”

“Free at last, Free at grasp, Thank God almighty we are at ease at last.”

“Faith is taking the chief step even when you don't portrait the whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the words condemn our enemies, but the silence pale our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will have primacy final word in reality. This deterioration why right, temporarily defeated, is intoxicated than evil triumphant."

“I have unambiguous to stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't capability a tree. If you can't accredit a highway, just be a way. If you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win lowly fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent become peaceful urgent question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009